In SAVOR, we discuss the notions of self and other that mislead our understanding of the true nature of reality.

At 1:14 AM E.D.T. the sun crossed directly over Earth’s equator, marking the changing of seasons from winter to spring in the Northern hemisphere. In celebration of this wondrous season of abundance, please enjoy this poetic excerpt from Thay:

Last week I celebrated International Women’s Day by considering all of the great women who work diligently each day to bring more love into their homes, communities, and the world at large: mothers, sisters, friends, teachers, activists, volunteers, authors, and more.

Women make up 73 percent of professionals in the nonprofit sector, 76 percent of public school teachers and 94 percent of nurses in the United States. Whether in our professional or personal life, we devote much of our attention to caring for others.

I offer you this blog as a place to begin if you are new to mindfulness, and a place to return if you are a meditator who has fallen out of practice. We all face hardships that sometimes block us from our internal light. Please use this post to touch base with yourself and begin afresh. In this moment, you have everything necessary to live fully and truly.

Dear Savor Community,  

Let’s use this time, in the wake of Thanksgiving, to nurture the deep seeds of gratitude within us.  We can water these seeds each day, by pausing to notice and embrace the love that flows through to connect us all. Like making way for water to run, we carve out time and attention in our lives, so that we may fully accept the gifts of life.

Breathing in, I open my heart to receive love.

Breathing out, I smile with thanks.

Recently I attended Thay’s retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery.  It felt wonderful to be together with Thay and the mindfulness community once again.  An acute awareness flows through me in this space. I feel joyful, more awake and free from the stress and worries of everyday life. Every time I leave a retreat, I bring this level of steadiness home with me – it's like getting a mindfulness booster shot.

My Harvard colleagues and I recently developed the Healthy Eating Plate, a healthier, clearer version of USDA’s MyPlate.

Suffering is universal, and if we really think about it, we all know what makes us suffer. Often we are stuck to it, and we feel that we have no power—no courage—to cut off from the roots of our suffering.

But we can cultivate the spiritual power to transform our cravings, our anger, our frustration, our suffering and our despair!  We can transform all of our afflictions, because like everything else in the universe, they are impermanent.

When we are able to cut off from suffering, we become free people.  In this freedom, we find happiness.

Q. How can we become aware of, and change, bad habits?

 The past is gone. 

The future is not yet here. 

Life can only be found in the present moment.

Mindful breathing, in and out, can bring you back to the present moment instantly.